Operation Manasquan

Operation Manasquan (21-23 June 2006) was a US Marine Corps operation of the Iraq War in 2006. It targeted Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters in the village of Buhriz on the outskirts of Baghdad, but the militants succeeded in holding off the American assault and won a propaganda victory.

History
As American and Iraqi surge troops headed to eliminate the last pockets of insurgents around Baghdad, foreign fighters prepared to defend the village of Buhriz from a US Marine Corps patrolling element. The Marines set out to capture Buhriz after nearby convoys were ambushed, and they fought over a wooden bridge that led to the town of Buhriz itself. Marine snipers were able to shoot a few insurgents, but the fighting for the bridge was very fierce and many marines and insurgents were killed. The Americans tried to flank the insurgents by moving on the ground under the bridge, but the fighting there left even more dead, and the Americans were unable to successfully cross the bridge and reach the village itself. The battle was a major propaganda victory for the insurgents, who had defeated a US offensive.